Saving A Civil War Prison	January 17, 2002
by Eric A. Powell

1864 Gould Map of Johnson's Island (Courtesy David Bush) [LARGER IMAGE]

Development is threatening Johnson's Island Prisoner of War Depot, a Civil War-era prison camp for Confederate officers in Ohio. ("In Their Own Words: Tales from a Civil War Prison," August 30, 1999). The site's owner, who has a long history of cooperation with archaeologists, intends to put it on the market. At stake is a 16.5 acre area that includes the remains of the prison compound and the earthen fortifications of Fort Johnson. Two houses are already being built on Fort Hill, a redoubt that overlooked the prison from the island's highest point.

Left, one of 206 tombstones within the Confederate Cemetery. Close to 300 prisoners that died while imprisoned at Johnson's Island were buried at the cemetery. Right, Our Mess, a pencil drawing by Lt. William B. Cox of Missouri, January, 1864 (Courtesy David Bush) [LARGER IMAGE] [LARGER IMAGE]

In response, David Bush, a historical archaeologist at Heidelberg College, has formed the Friends and Descendants of Johnson's Island, a nonprofit dedicated to raising funds to buy the prison and ensure the site's survival. In the short term, Bush hopes to raise $50,000 to secure a bank loan for a down payment on the property. He notes he's on good terms with the landowner and provided the nonprofit can come up with the money, Bush expects the prison, which once housed 10,000 Southern officers, can escape destruction. For more visit www.heidelberg.edu/~dbush.

© 2002 by the Archaeological Institute of America www.archaeology.org/online/news/johnson.html

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